Download
Frank Reich hired as new head coach of the Carolina Panthers
CGTN
Frank Reich, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, leaves the field after the 17-16 loss to the the Washington Commanders at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, October 30, 2022. /CFP
Frank Reich, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, leaves the field after the 17-16 loss to the the Washington Commanders at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, October 30, 2022. /CFP

Frank Reich, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, leaves the field after the 17-16 loss to the the Washington Commanders at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, October 30, 2022. /CFP

The Carolina Panthers have hired Frank Reich as their new head coach, the team announced on Thursday.

Reich was the team's starting quarterback (QB) in their first NFL game in 1995. ESPN reported that he and the Panthers reached a four-year contract that will be finalized by January 30. The 61-year-old former Indianapolis Colts boss will become the sixth coach of the Panthers in franchise history and their first one with an offensive background.

Reich retired as a player after the 1998 NFL season. He worked as the QB coach, wide receiver coach and offensive coordinator among other positions in different teams until being appointed by the Colts as the head coach for the first time in 2018.

The Colts had 40 wins, 33 losses and one draw under Reich, went to the playoffs twice but never went further than the National Football Conference (NFC) Divisional Round (in 2018). Reich was fired in November 2022 after a poor start of 3-5-1 during the 2022 season.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield of the Carolina Panthers passes in the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, October 2, 2022. /CFP
Quarterback Baker Mayfield of the Carolina Panthers passes in the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, October 2, 2022. /CFP

Quarterback Baker Mayfield of the Carolina Panthers passes in the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, October 2, 2022. /CFP

The Panthers finished the 2022 regular season with a 7-10 record and missed the postseason for the fifth time in a row. The team counted on Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield as their main passers, but ranked only 20th in average points and 29th in average yards among 32 teams.

The Panthers have seven picks for the NFL Draft in late March: ninth in the first round, their own for the second, fourth and fifth rounds, as well as the second-, third- and fourth-rounders of the San Francisco 49ers.

"Winning is the most important thing both on the field and in the community, and I am committed to winning a Super Bowl championship together," the Panthers' owner David Tepper said when he was interviewing the candidates. He bought the team in 2018 for a league-record $2.275 billion at that time.

The Panthers reached Super Bowl twice, but lost to the New England Patriots in 2004 and the Denver Broncos in 2016. Reich won a Super Bowl championship as the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018.

Search Trends